by E. E. Borton
“I’ve never seen him like this,” I said.
“I have,” said Tucker. “All I can tell you is, don’t get in his way.”
“I don’t plan on it.”
As the last shovels of dirt were thrown on the graves, I went inside the house. I piled some furniture in the middle of the living room and set it on fire. The old wooden home was fully engulfed by the time we reached the tracks.
JD and Tucker were on point, but they didn’t bother to travel through the woods. They were moving fast and with a purpose. I knew it would be useless to tell them to slow down, but I couldn’t keep up. The muscles in my leg were burning, and I was in no shape to run and catch up with them. Doug and Daniel lagged behind with me.
“What’s the plan?” asked Doug, breathing heavily.
“I’m not sure,” I said. “But just be ready for anything.”
“I know JD is a scrapper,” said Daniel, “but is he going take on all six of them by himself?”
“I think you might’ve just figured out the plan.”
JD and Tucker didn’t try to conceal themselves as we approached the bridge. I became nervous when I saw three uniforms sitting on their backpacks at the campsite near the entrance. I knew we had safe passage from the group we confronted on the way out, but I didn’t know if they told the uniforms about us.
I tried to quicken my pace, but I was still twenty yards behind the brothers. I saw JD put his hand out, and Tucker slowed his stride. JD extended his own stride and was a few yards ahead of him. I scanned the woods for the other assholes, but didn’t see them. The brothers were almost to the bridge when the uniforms stood to face them. I was relieved to see their rifles were still leaning against their packs. When JD was a few steps away from them, everything around me went into slow motion.
Like a gunslinger from the Old West, in one fluid motion JD pulled his hunting knife from the sheath and another he had tucked into his belt. The three uniforms standing next to each other were caught off guard. When he was close enough for them to look into his eyes, I could see them reaching for their holstered guns.
As if he was throwing an upper cut, JD punched his knife up through the bottom of the first uniform’s chin and deep into his skull. The force of the blow took him off of his feet. He didn’t bother trying to pull it out, and just left it inside of his head.
Before his body hit the ground, JD had the second knife buried up to the handle in the side of another uniform’s neck. As the last uniform tried to raise his gun, JD flipped the knife into his other hand and drove it into his abdomen. He pulled it out and stabbed him several more times while he was slumping down to the ground.
As my brain was trying to process what was happening in front of me, Tucker walked up to the first uniform and put his foot on his chest. He had to use both hands to yank the knife out of him. When it was free, he punched it into the heart of JD’s second target who was writhing in pain on the ground clutching his wounds. I watched as his tense body went limp. All three uniforms were dead in the blink of an eye. I had never seen anything like that in my life.
He stood over them for a moment before pulling a rag out of his back pocket. After wiping the blood off his face, he wiped the blood off the knife and returned it to its sheath. (I had a feeling everyone at the campsite watching was relived he put it away.)
Without looking back at us, JD tapped his brother on the shoulder and they both walked onto the bridge. I told Doug and Daniel to gather the uniforms’ weapons and gear. I caught up with the brothers before they made it to the other side.
Three down, three to go.
Chapter 13
Locusts
No words were exchanged as we crossed the bridge that brought us to the edge of town. The sentries on the other side didn’t see or hear the killing. They welcomed us with handshakes and congratulations for raising the Tennessee River.
“Did three men in uniform cross here?” asked JD.
“They did,” said Vernon. “Came over this morning.”
“Who are they?” I asked.
“Militia,” said Vernon. “They’re a scouting party for a larger group that’s supposed to be coming in a few days. I think they called themselves the New Tennessee State Army or something like that.”
“Why are they here?” I asked.
“Apparently, they heard about us from some other folks,” said Vernon. “They know we got a train. They said we were the only town they knew of that hasn’t been destroyed or taken over yet. They’re here to get permission to bring the rest of their army over.”
“The rest?” I asked. “How many?”
“They said over a hundred troops,” said Vernon. “I told him they could go anywhere they wanted with that many guns. He said there were two hundred more at their camp near Chattanooga. Can you believe that?”
“Where are the three that came over?” asked JD.
“With Gunny, Mr. Perry, and a few other townsfolk,” said Vernon. “They’re probably still at the train station.”
JD started walking before I could ask any more questions. I knew he was going to finish what he started at the bridge. I had no intention of changing that, even if I could.
It didn’t matter to me that a hundred more were coming. It didn’t matter to any of us who had walked into that farmhouse. All that mattered was ending the lives of the butchers who brutalized and murdered that little girl and our new friends. We’d deal with the repercussions of our actions after they paid with their lives.
Most of the town meetings were held in the Bridgeport Railway Museum, which was pressed back into service as an active train station. A space was cleared in the main room to accommodate a large table. When we walked through the door, one uniform was sitting at the head of the table on one end with the other two flanking him. Gunny was sitting at the other head with my uncle, Parker, Bruce, and several town elders sitting along either side. Joey was sitting in a chair in the corner.
“The prodigal sons return,” said Gunny, standing and holding out his hand. “Well done, gentlemen.”
The smile left his face when we passed without shaking his hand. I walked down one side of the table and stood behind a uniform. Tucker did the same on the other. JD made his way to the man at the head.
“Are you the man in charge?” asked JD.
“I am,” said the uniform, standing and extending his hand. “I’m Major Ronald Whitaker of the –”
When he stood, Tucker and I wrapped our arms around the necks of his men. We jerked them up out of their chairs as JD pulled his pistol and aimed it at the leader’s face. My uniform went limp after I heard the bones in his neck snap. Tucker’s uniform was still struggling to free himself from the choke hold. He went limp a few seconds later. We tossed them to the floor as JD held a steady aim. I looked around the room to see everyone on their feet with confusion on their faces.
“Wait a second!” said Ronald, holding up his hands in front of the gun. “Just wait! I don’t know what the hell’s going on here, but I’m sure we can work this out.”
I removed his sidearm while Joey tied his hands behind his back. JD motioned for him to take his seat. JD then holstered his gun and stood behind Ronald.
“There’s an army coming here day after tomorrow,” said Ronald, staring at Gunny. “You let them kill me, and they’ll burn this town to the ground. I swear to God they will!”
“I need you to talk to me, JD,” said Gunny. “I’m sure you have your reasons, but we need to know what they are.”
“Tell them,” said JD, slapping Ronald on the back of his head.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” said Ronald, growling.
JD grabbed a handful of Ronald’s hair and yanked his head back. He wanted to make sure he saw the knife before he put it to his throat. A trickle of blood flowed from underneath the blade as he pressed it to his neck.
“Goddamnit, wait!” said Ronald, trading his growl for a squeal. “Just tell me what you want me to say!”
>
“We just want you to tell the truth,” I said. “Tell them about the party you had last night. Tell them everything, and he’ll put that knife away. You don’t, and your head’s coming off. I shit you not.”
“You mean those squatters that attacked us?” asked Ronald. “They didn’t give us a choice. We were just looking for a place to bed down for the night. They started shooting at us before we got to the front porch. What were we supposed to do?”
“They attacked you?” asked Tucker. “With what? A frying pan and a hammer, you lying sack of shit? They gave us shelter from that storm yesterday. They didn’t have any guns.”
JD put his hand over Ronald’s nose and mouth. He set the knife on the table and wrapped his other arm around his neck and squeezed. When he turned purple and started to slump, JD released his grip.
“Okay, okay,” said Ronald, taking in deep breaths. “Things got a little out of control.”
“Tell them,” said JD, leaning down and whispering in his ear. “Tell them what you did to that little girl.”
“We came up on the house because we saw their cooking fire,” said Ronald, trying to save his life. “You’re right, they didn’t have any guns. We tied up the men and took their women upstairs. They were fighting us so we tied them to the beds. I know what we did was bad, and I’m sorry. We didn’t know they were your friends.”
“Doesn’t matter who they were,” I said. “And you’re still lying. They didn’t try to fight you. They knew they wouldn’t survive if they did. Not one of your men has a mark on them. Not a scratch. No, they didn’t fight you. The women let you do whatever you wanted, and the men didn’t have a choice but to let it happen. Morgan couldn’t do anything but listen to you and your men rape and torture his wife.”
“Why that little girl?” asked JD. “You beat her, stabbed her, and then left her for dead. She was twelve years old.”
“She was still alive,” I said, getting his attention. “You made me shoot a twelve-year-old girl in the head to put her out of her misery. Why?”
“Is this true?” asked Gunny, lowering his head. “Did you do those things?”
“I’m sorry,” said Ronald. “Things got out of hand and I’m sorry.”
JD picked up the knife and drove it into Ronald’s chest. He took a step back as the coward screamed in pain. When his head fell forward in silence, JD slid down the wall and sat on the floor with his head in his hands.
We dragged the bodies to the platform outside. Doug and Daniel joined us and dropped the gear and weapons they recovered from the bodies at the bridge. All of us were standing by the train, except JD.
“There’s more of them coming,” said Perry. “A lot more. They’ll be at the bridge day after tomorrow. I can’t see them being happy about what happened to their men.”
“You mean what we did to their men,” I said. “We’ll handle our business with them on the other side of the bridge. If it goes bad for us, they’ll have to go back over the dam and come at you from the north and that’ll buy you a few more days. They’ll have to fight their way through Kimball and South Pittsburg. That should bring their numbers down and take some fight out of them.”
“We’re not sending you boys over the bridge to confront them,” said Gunny. “We’ll find another way.”
“We’re not sure they even want a fight,” said Perry. “They may be okay with what happened here if we talk to them. A few bad apples don’t need to spoil the bunch.”
“I think you’re being a bit too optimistic,” I said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if their original agenda was to take our towns. A large group of well-armed people don’t tend to ask permission for anything. No, Uncle, they were coming for us regardless of what happened. All we did was take six of them out of the equation.”
“Damnit, Henry,” said Perry, taking a step closer to me. “You’re not responsible for the lives of the people in our towns; we are. You boys have left us with very few options here. You couldn’t have thought this through a little bit more before deciding to put us all in danger? I sent you with them to avoid this very situation, Henry. You let me down.”
“You didn’t see what they did to them, Uncle. You didn’t have to put a bullet in a little girl’s head because she was in agony and dying.”
“We have our own little girls, Henry.”
“This is all on me,” said JD, coming out onto the platform. “Henry wouldn’t have been able to stop me. None of you would’ve. I’m not going to stand here and apologize for what we did, but I will make it right. You have my word.”
Uncle Perry looked over at JD and then back at me. I could see the worry and tension in his eyes. I felt bad for putting him in that position, but I didn’t feel bad for taking the lives of those animals.
I watched him as he turned and walked to the end of the platform. With his hands folded across his chest, he stared at the tracks leading across the bridge. It seemed like an eternity before he turned around and came back to us.
“I would’ve done the same thing,” said Perry. “You’re right, JD. You don’t need to apologize for what you did. I do for making you think you needed to. I just hate that the solution to our problems is more killing. Henry, you didn’t let me down. I shouldn’t have said that to you. I’m sorry.”
“Good,” I said. “It sucked hearing that.”
“I was hopeful this might have been a new beginning for us,” said Perry. “Having a group of soldiers protecting us would’ve given us the time we need to grow our crops and get our towns back on their feet.”
“I’m with Henry,” said JD. “After seein’ what they did, I believe the others that are coming are looking to take from us, not help us.”
“I agree with them,” said Gunny. “I think those six were a Trojan horse trying to get us to let an army walk across our bridge unimpeded. And you and I were considering it, Perry. No, I think these boys just exposed them for what they really are.”
“What’s that?” asked Daniel.
“Locusts,” said Gunny.
“Looks like the agenda for our meeting has changed,” said Perry. “We need to find a way to exterminate that swarm before it gets here. We don’t have much time to figure that out. I’m sorry, boys. The train is going back to Stevenson today, but we’re not.”
My uncle asked Gunny if he could spare a young, strong back to feed the boiler for Bruce and Parker on their trip back to Stevenson. He knew there would be a lot of questions asked when the passenger car returned empty. He instructed Bruce to tell them we were all okay, but the meetings were taking longer than expected. I knew that wouldn’t fly with either Donna or Kelly, so I penned a note to let them know we were fine for the moment.
Daniel had a one-track mind being controlled by his stomach, so Gunny was helping him prepare lunch for the group. I noticed JD was still outside as it was being served. I grabbed a sandwich from the platter and joined him.
“Put this in your head,” I said, handing it to him. “You haven’t eaten since yesterday morning.”
“Thanks, brother,” said JD, taking a bite. “Did I fuck up today, Henry?”
“Not in my book, buddy,” I said. “Just remind me never to piss you off.”
Chapter 14
Anti-Social Network
News travels fast in a small town. It travels even faster now. As we watched the train leave the station for Stevenson, there must have been a hundred people around the platform. We covered the bodies and concealed them in the passenger car, but the town already knew who they were and how they ended up dead. Gunny wanted to get ahead of any rumors and come up with a plan of action before the end of the day. He would present it to the town the following morning.
“What’s done is done, boys,” said Gunny, retaking his seat at the head of the table.
“And we can’t undo it,” said Perry, taking the unoccupied seat at the other end. “We all agree it was the right thing to do. Let’s focus on what we need to do next.”
“What were you
talking about before we arrived?” I asked. “Who are they?”
“They called themselves soldiers from the 6th Regiment of the Tennessee State Army,” said Gunny. “They’re militia, not professional soldiers. I could tell the moment I laid eyes on them.”
“How’s that?” I asked.
“I was a Marine for thirty years, son,” said Gunny. “You just know. There’s a certain way a soldier or a Marine carries himself. These guys had uniforms pieced together with a bunch of oddball patches sewn on the shoulders. Their weapons weren’t military issue, and there was a distinct lack of protocol and discipline. They all were talking at us, not to us.”
“I’m sorry, Gunny,” said Perry. “I didn’t notice any of that. I was never in the military and I just assumed they were.”
“I’m sure that was their intent,” said Gunny. “I was suspicious about their motives from the start of our conversation, but I wanted to hear them out.”
“What did they have to say?” I asked.
“That they were here to re-establish the U.S. government in our area and bring us aid,” said Gunny. “In a nutshell, they would provide protection while our towns provided them food, water, and shelter for their main force.”
“They said they would take the burden of security off of our shoulders so we could focus on everything else,” said Perry. “We’d be able to work in peace, and they would make sure we could sleep at night without worrying about trouble sneaking up on us.”
“But they put a bit too much focus on our train,” said Gunny. “They told us they secured Signal Mountain just west of Chattanooga and used the Golf Country Club as their base of operations. They said they had two hundred full-time soldiers that protected their community of two thousand civilians. They wanted to use the train to move troops and supplies up and down the line from Signal Mountain all the way down to Scottsboro. Once they secured all of the towns in between, they wanted to focus on rebuilding Chattanooga.”
